Friday, March 13, 2009

First, let me thank all of you who posted suggestions for my cooking demo. I'm not sure if there is a consensus on the seitan/tofu question, but I think more people favour going for something fresh and tasty rather than trying to recreate a meat dish. I really like the idea of doing as complete a meal as possible, but I will have to see. The demo is for a university course so I need to make a small presentation, discuss the readings, and cook at the same time. Phew!

Second, I have noodled around with the raisin bread recipe that I posted last week. My loaves kept coming out really dense, so I made some adjustments. My kids absolutely loved the bread (kind of like cake), but I wanted something that looked better for my bakery customers. Check it out of you are interested.

I read some of the comments on your raisin bread post, and I must say... TRY white whole wheat flour. Yes, the color is a bit lighter, but it ALSO makes for a loaf that is less dense. If you have the means, grind it fresh right before you bake. The flavor is amazing. I use my Blendtec to grind it really fine. You could also use a VitaMix or grain mill if you have one. Wheat flour goes rancid shortly after it is ground (and becomes carcinogenic), so grinding it fresh is best.

in order to make it complete perhaps u should consider a side like couscous that takes little time, or if u do rice maybe u could do it in a rice cooker, so u can just forget about it while u do your main dish, or maybe doing rice noodles that you soak...or perhaps u were meaning in all in one meal like a stir fry with quinoa/couscous with chickpeas & other vegetables in it. good luck!

You don't know me. My name is Lisa, and I read your blog pretty often. I love your recipes, and I have a question for you. I made some subpar potato soup, and I would prefer not to waste it. Any idea how I can use the leftovers in a different recipe?